News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media

"Weeds" mini-cap: keeping cool in the desert

Last week I wondered why we had to meet Bubbie at all given her short stay and lack of audible lines, but this week I learned that we met her so that Nancy could kill her so that Lenny could extort money from Nancy putting Nancy in even more dramatic jeopardy. Cool, now we are getting somewhere!

The first three weeks made me feel like I was under the influence of Silas’ killer product because the story arc seemed to be moving sooo verrry slooowly. But this week’s episode, “The Three Coolers,” towed the stories into another gear much like the truck that towed Andy’s van (with Silas’s killer product growing inside) for parking without a permit in front of Bubbie’s house. I mean, Lenny’s house. (RIP Bubbie.)

So, the Botwins, ever the classy bunch, observed seven days of shiva in remembrance of Bubbie. Nancy and the kids spent more time sitting honoring Bubbie’s timely death by Tempur-Pedic pillow than they have collectively spent in Bubbie’s presence over their life times.

Lenny, with no signs of proof to the other Botwins or the viewing audience, stakes claim as the sole beneficiary of Bubbie’s belongings. It seems the only good Bubbie is a dead Bubbie.

Upon learning of the death — good news travels fast in the real estate business — several real estate agents come by to offer their respects and business cards. One actually sits shiva hoping to get the upper hand on repping the property. But a man’s upper hand is not what Lenny is interested in, and Lenny chooses an exceptionally endowed blonde female agent (not because blondes have more fun but because exceptionally endowed ones have better assets to negotiate closing costs.)

Also during shiva, Doug from Majestic accepts Andy’s invitation to move in. Turns out that Doug’s running from the Majestic city council, a group whose finances he pretty much bitch slapped all the way into another zip code.

Seeing Doug more regularly will make me happy. When I see Doug I just start giggling. (I know, kill me.) Now, just get me Conrad, Heylia and more Isabelle and I’m good!

Anyway, after shiva ends with an actual count down like it’s New Years Eve (the Botwin’s sincerity just charms, doesn’t it?) Lenny hops up and announces that he’s selling the house and that Nancy and her un-invitedness needs to figure out whose home, motel or homeless shelter she can invite herself next. Lenny wants a couple of million for the house but the housing market is in shambles. Hmm, what to do?

Nancy leaves to meet with Guillermo and is presented with the choice of opening two coolers. (Why the episode is called three coolers has been lost on me. Help!) Nancy chooses and learns that she has to go and wait in the desert to be contacted by someone smuggling in product from Mexico. Included in the cooler were a gun, a juice box and the mapped location. She checks the other cooler and it was the same thing except for the juice box. That Guillermo is so knee-slapping funny, no?

Back at the Casa de Murder, Lenny enlists Shane to help him look into all of Bubbie’s things in search of the hidden-in-the-home savings account in which many elderly people deposit their cash around their own houses rather than the bank. Shane strikes pay dirt high atop a shelf. Fifteen grand in cash! Woot!

Lenny’s thrilled but Shane becomes suspicious as to how Bubbie climbed all the way up the side of a cabinet to hide money and why some of the bills had 2007 print dates since Bubbie has been bedridden since 2006.

Outside of Bubbie’s house Andy, Doug and Silas hang out in Andy’s make shift grow van that Silas set up to cultivate his passion. Doug and Andy get higher than the Himalayas (what else is new?) They are amazed by what they’re smoking. Seems like Silas has a future in botany. Who says college is a must for the sciences?

Nancy swings by the grow van and gets Andy to agree to drive with her on her mission in the desert. It sucks when your only choice for back up is Andy Botwin.

Lenny grills Shane trying to find out what illegal activity Nancy is involved in. He assumes she’s a prostitute. That silly Lenny — tricks are for kids! After watching Doug drift in and out of the refrigerator several times looking for munchies Lenny clues in as to what Nancy’s business commodity is. Lenny is amused.

Out in the desert at the Mexican border Nancy and Andy wait for whoever is dropping off the goods. The Mexican police light up her car and Nancy climbs into Andy’s lap and begins to totally make out with him so the police think they’re there to, well, make out. (Do grown people still drive to secluded places to make out?)

Of course, the Mexican police leave a slew of duffel bags full of pot next to Nancy’s little Prius. She manages to shove it all in the car but has no room to take Andy back with her. She tells him to wait and that she’ll be back to get him.

In Ren Mar, Andy’s van gets towed and Silas goes to pick it up from impound. The tow yard guys discovered what was in the back of the van and compliment Silas on his miracle product and asked for a few ounces in exchange for not telling the police that they have towed the van. So where is Silas’ green thumb going to take the story, hmm?

Andy waits in the desert for longer than Nancy’s 45 minute promise then he sees a group of illegal immigrants walk past him on their way to meet up with a coyote to take them to Iowa. Andy leaves with them, leaving the cooler behind. This can’t be good.

Since Lenny can’t get the price he wants for the beach property he packs his things to head to Europe and tells Shane that he’s taking the $15,000 and demands that Nancy deposit $10,000 on the first of the month each month into one of his poker playing accounts. Bye Lenny, can’t say it’s been nice but it has at times been funny.

Finally, Nancy arrives at Guillermo’s and as she collects her payment for the delivery, some gang members stumble through the door dragging Celia inside with their guns drawn on her. They found her staking out the place. Nancy stares at Celia speechless. Alleluia! At last, Nancy and Celia together again. Thank the TV goddesses!

Celia is so in love with Nancy, or am I making that up? Is Lenny really the beneficiary of everything or could it be Andy? Can Nancy get out of the work with Guillermo and go back to supplying her own product through Silas? Will Celia end up being friend or foe? I'm hoping friend, but foe is more fun.

  • roc's blog
  • Login or register to post comments
  • e_trebs's picture

    3 coolers

    Quote: "Why the episode is called three coolers has been lost on me. Help!"

    Because, at the end of the episode, Lenny tells Shane that Bubby was his own cooler.

     

    roc's picture

    Thank you...

    Trebs, for answering my plea! Any guesses at the meaning? Was it that Bubbie was the cause of his life long rotten luck? Or was she an albatross around his neck as of late? Or did she keep is beers chilled? :)
    tight's picture

    cooler

    Oo oo oo, I can answer this one LOL There was movie a few years ago with William H. Macy called The Cooler. It's someone who brings bad luck to a hot gambler or a gambler on a roll.  A cooler zaps all of the good luck out of their mark. It's a superstition type deal and the cooler is the jinx. So Lenny was saying that his mother was the one that brought him all of bad luck in life. So her death was a great thing to him. 

    This episode really made me laugh. A lot. Next week should be exciting with the focus on Nancy and Celia. 

    I do ask again though, where are all the black people on this show? That blend of black urban versus white suburban humor gave the show some oomph! 

    Shele's picture

    Thanks for explaining that.

    I assumed it meant that Lenny was "cooling" his heels just waiting for Bubbie to die.  But, your explanation fits the storyline perfectly.
    roc's picture

    ....

    Thanks! It all makes sense. Bubbie brought about his lifelong loserdom? That's a fine way to view one's mother! Of course if your mother hangs your dogs it does sort of cast a cloud over the warm and fuzzy feelings.

    Quote:
    I do ask again though, where are all the black people on this show? That blend of black urban versus white suburban humor gave the show some oomph!

    I've enjoyed this season, for the most part, but I agree that there is a void of the humor centering on the urban vs suburban social conflict that established the show. I even liked that Heylia and Celia were becoming pals last season:) not to mention that I thought Conrad's cousin Vaneeta was cute as hell:)

     

     

    cosmiccowgirl's picture

    No, you're not making it up.

    I posted this in the forum, but I don't know how many people will see it, so I'll post it again here. In a recent short interview Elizabeth Perkins talked about how she is glad Celia and Nancy will be in cahoots instead of at odds this season and added: “I love it because I think Celia is really madly in love with Nancy. I think that’s a facet of the relationship that will always be there. Celia’s just kind of like this puppy following Nancy around saying ‘Why won’t you love me?’ I don’t think that will ever change." I guess if the actor who plays her thinks Celia is in love with Nancy, we can't be accused of imagining it. Isabelle, smart little lesbian that she is, was right!

    This episode had its moments, but I am still missing Heylia and Conrad (who are no longer listed as cast on the Showtime website--they are gone, folks). I was glad to see Lenny go. He was just too dispicable to be funny--and that's saying something on this show so full of dispicable people. He had some funny lines, especially the thing about only caring about genocide when it's against Jews, but I just didn't like him. Guillermo is kind of like U-Turn all over again, taking Nancy on as his apprentice and sending her off on dangerous errands without giving her any information, except he's not, you know, funny.

    LOVED the ending. That song was just so perfect. The previews looked awesome, so I can't wait for next week.

    Do people still go to secluded places to make out--yes, when they're 16, but not when they're like 45! I sooo hope they don't go there with Nancy and Andy. Also, how bad a thug is Nancy that she hasn't detected Celia spying on her?!!

    roc's picture

    cosmic...

    I'm loving your post!

    Thanks for the link. And thank you Elizabeth Perkins for confirming the off the chart meter reading on our collective lezdar. Lezdar is for women only:) And like you I cheered when they dragged Celia in because from this point forward it's Nancy and Celia together on screen, at last.

    But boo to the idea that Heylia and Conrad won't even make a guest star appearance.  Jengi Kohan, where's my vote!

    And yeah...NO to going there with Andy and Nancy. Just NO. As a matter of fact why couldn't the Tres6 have found Celia earlier so she could ride shot gun with Nancy for the border pick up? The two of them making out in the desert makes more sense:) I say a missed opportunity...

    cosmiccowgirl's picture

    missed opportunity

    Heh. I like the way you think. I doubt Celia and Nancy will ever get together for real, but surely the writers can at least find a way to work in some kind of fake kiss, which would leave Celia all stunned and speechless. I agree that the border pick-up would have been the perfect opportunity...

    Another opportunity would have been when Nancy had Celia sprawled across the kitchen counter with a knife at her throat and was down in her face stroking her hair. That was pretty hot. And I don't think an intimidation kiss would have been out of place.

    I guess Heylia and Conrad could come back as guest stars--they're just not part of the regular cast anymore. But to me they were really at the heart of the show, and I'll always miss them not being central characters.

    Shele's picture

    OMG that scene where Nancy had the knife

    to Ceclia's throat was off the charts hot!  It was very sexy the way Nancy fondled Ceclia's head and stroked her hair while holding a knife to her throat.  I know it sounds sick, but if you didn't see it you just wouldn't know.  I'm voting that Ceclia and Nancy hook up.  I think Nancy wants a bff gf like crazy and she and Ceclia can get in some hot trouble together.
    roc's picture

    ...

    Quote:
    I'm voting that Ceclia and Nancy hook up.  I think Nancy wants a bff gf like crazy and she and Ceclia can get in some hot trouble together.

    I'm with you. I would gladly hang my chad in the voting booth for a Nancy-Celia hook-up:)

    lfan's picture

    weighing in on Nancy and Celia as gf

    I just have to say the only way Nancy would go for Celia would be to manipulate her. Also that would just piss me off for two reasons 1) I hate that Nancy has become a total user of everyone and 2) because I can't stand it when TV/movies depict straight girls "acting gay or experimenting" with getting it on. It just pisses off my and I do not want this show to go there andI suspect they are too snarky, twisted cool ( in their own minds) to go there. We shall see although I have to admit I haven't watched since the second episode - just reading this cause I think Roc is super.
    roc's picture

    ....

    Quote:
    I just have to say the only way Nancy would go for Celia would be to manipulate her.

    No question that Nancy has lost her innocence over the last 3 seasons. She's a real player in the drug game not just the accidental MILFY soccer drug mom of S1 but I think she's capable of a sincere relationship with some one. The show, of course, doesn't do true sincere relationships:) there's always a twist or motivation. So you may be right that anything with Nancy and Celia probably wouldn't happen on the genuine level one would hope. Having said that, the show is about envelop pushing and going past the "expected" and drunk straight women kissing each other and experimenting is sooooo 10 years ago so could genuine or sincere be the new outrageous for this show? (I don't expect it, mind you, but this show doesn't operate with cautious boundaries so anything is possible.)

    cosmiccowgirl's picture

    Nancy/Celia?

    My take on the Nancy/Celia relationship is that it will never happen because Nancy doesn't care about Celia. I thought she could have maybe had a real relationship with Conrad, if anyone, but never Celia. Nancy doesn't even like Celia. Nancy has never particularly wanted to be Celia's friend. She had sex with Celia's boyfriend with absolutely no compuction or even an apology. To Nancy, Celia is just a nuisance. I guess that could change, but I doubt it and don't even really hope for it, because Celia following her around like a puppy is just how their relationship works.

    I would be happy with a little more emphasis on the subtext, though. And I wouldn't for a second put it past Nancy to use Celia in the way she used Andy during the border pick-up. Using people to help her out of jams is what she does. Nope, that wouldn't bother me a bit. Titillating lesbian subtext never goes out of style as far as I'm concerned. But I agree I wouldn't want to see something lame like a drunken make-out. Although... even with a drunken make-out, it wouldn't exactly be two straight women experimenting, because Celia, at least in my view, is more of a repressed lesbian/bi woman. So it could be kind of profound to see her reaction to it. But still I would hope Weeds would be more original.

    By the way, thanks to those who explained the three coolers thing! The title is much "cooler" to me now.


    User login

    Recent comments

    After Ellen home page on logo online